After my long train trip back home, and being called "sale race" (always a highlight) I arrived in Marseille around 11 pm. Alain met me at the train station, and we went underground to the subway station. I took out my subway ticket from my wallet in my purse, and....that was the last I saw of it.The next morning I went for groceries, had a full cart, and when the time came to pay...Nothing. Nada. Rien.I had my other wallet which had about 10€, my carte de sejour, and my permis de conduire. I managed to pay for most of the cart of groceries with the 10€ and some tickets resto, then came home and searched. Couldn't find it. Somewhere between taking the subway in Marseille at 11 pm and going to the grocery store the next morning at 9 am, my wallet disappeared. Lost or stolen, I don't know, but if I have to guess, I would say stolen on the subway.I called and canceled my credit card and remaining checks.On Monday I sent in the form to cancel my Carte Vitale (health insurance card) and the registered letter to La Poste, confirming the Opposition of my card.Luckily, my harder to replace cards (ie carte de sejour and permis de conduire) were not in there.On Friday, I received a notice from La Ville de Marseille, service des Objets Trouvés - something of mine had been turned in.Knowing that it was my wallet and hoping there was still most of it left, I went in on Monday morning (over in the not-so-good part of town). I gave the woman the piece of paper and she looked it up on the computer. Behind her were piles of clothes, backpacks, and other stuff that I am sure didn't have any ID on it and is probably given to charity after a month.I got back (wrapped in a rubber band):- credit card (which did me no good as I had already canceled it)- check book (which did me no good as I had already canceled it)- health card (which did me no good as I had already canceled it)- the receipts that were in my wallet- my points card for Casino grocery store, and- a business card from another student at the course in Strasbourg

By this time, the only thing that was really worth it was the Casino points card.But really, who steals a wallet, keeps the wallet (Louis Vuitton I might add) and the money (about 50€), and carefully puts the credit card (which he know he can't use because it has probably been canceled), check book (ditto), health card, bothers to take out the receipts and business card, and puts them in a nice pile for the subway officials to find and turn in to Lost and Found?Bizarre.Le Sigh.Got a new credit card, still working on getting another checkbook, and haven't heard back from about the health insurance card.And am back to my 10€ wallet which at least isn't a temptation for theives.

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Megan, I am sorry to hear about your experience. I had a similar experience earlier this year in Marseille. While dining at Chez Fonfon at Vallon des Auffes, someone broke into my hatchback car and took my suitcases with my checkbook, house keys and a laptop computer among other things. Nothing was visible, it was all in the trunk. Thankfully, I took my passport and camera with me when I got out of the car.

We had such an experience in Rome. We reported the wallet stolen straight away at the train station and then the police informed us that if we were "lucky" we had been robbed by the "kind" thieves. The kind of thieves who only go for the cash and then leaves the wallet for the train staff to find.And sure enough, we got everything back except the cash. Even the card car key which was in the wallet too.

Aye-yai-yai! It took me three months to get my health insurance, which I received yesterday. Of course, there was a delay b/c I need to get my premier titre de sejour, but I feel ya! I'm going to guard everything with my life! What a nightmare! Geez1